Castle Combe
“What is it about the English countryside—why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?”
It feels like we’ve been sucked into a bit of a black hole this week, repeatedly finding ourselves in Bath.
We arrived at our new place on Sunday. Monday was spent in Bath, as planned, while Amanda got her hair done.
We were forced to return on Tuesday (Mar 7) in order to deal with fallout from the sewer nightmare that unfolded just before we left on this trip (the gift that keeps on giving).
We thought we’d finally get down to the business of seeing some new places on Wednesday, but then the weather changed! This was what we woke up to on Wednesday morning…snow makes for more of a stay-home kinda day we decided: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07iD2ZPOYI8.
With only snow flurries and light rain forecast for Thursday (May 9), we figured it was safe to venture out and decided to visit Dyrham Park. The stately home was never on our radar; however, it happens to be very close to where we’re staying, which made for an easy visit.
The walk from the car park to the house is about 20 minutes, so we were fortunate to only encounter light rain. The previous day’s snow, the drizzle, and fog gave the walk an eerie appeal.
The rolling 270-acre parkland, with it’s many ancient trees, would be an absolutely amazing place to explore on foot during better weather conditions.
Dyrham Park was created in the 17th century by William Blathwayt, who made his fortune from British empire and invested that wealth in this estate, making Dyrham into one of the most notable stately homes of its age.
Given its status, we were surprised to have never heard about the house.
The imposing Cedar Staircase, designed by William Talman in 1698 and completed after 1702. The treads are of Virginian walnut, the risers and balustrade of cedar from America.
Allegory of the Arts by Andrea Casili above the Virginian black walnut Old Staircase.
The black walnut, walnut, and cedar used in the making of these staircases were acquired by Blathwayt as a direct result of his influence and activity in British Colonial North America. The timber became highly prized in Europe for the color of the polished wood and its attractive grain. Two of Blathwayt’s close associates scoured settlements in Virginia and North Carolina for suppliers. Local boats brought the cargo from across the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River to Jamestown. There they were loaded onto Bristol bound ships. Sea captains needed persuading to take such bulky consignments and give up such profitable space. Once at Bristol it took time and effort to cart the heavy loads eleven miles along poorly made roads to Dyrham.
There is no record of Blathwayt making any payment for this timber; it is assumed that they were “gifted” to him in exchange for his favor and influence, an example of the “gift-giving” which brokered and eased European colonial encroachment and of the “perquisites” which leading Europeans with influence in the colonies could hope to acquire.
Blathwayt married the niece of Thomas Povey, who sold many of the home’s decorations to Blathwayt, including a pair of 17th-century sculptures of African men kneeling in chains.
It is estimated that from the late 1600s to the early 1900s, one-sixth of Britain’s country houses were purchased by merchants whose fortunes depended on colonial trade, which was conducted on vastly unequal terms.
The National Trust has decided to preserve such objects and use their presence to open a narrative that would otherwise not exist. “Slavery has been woven into the fabric of British and global history for thousands of years,” the National Trust said. “For 400 years, white British people, companies, and organizations gained huge amounts of wealth through the appalling exploitation of enslaved people as part of the slave trade.”
The Trust said it is working to bring out painful, challenging, and neglected histories attached to its properties and collections through interpretation and exploration.
The gardens
In the gift shop, these super cute little hedgehogs are designed to hang off the side of a potted plant. We are dying to find a hedgehog in the wild!
After Dyrham Park, we did a big grocery trip at Sainsbury’s and you’ll never guess what Amanda found lying all by itself on the floor as we were walking out of the store.
After getting her hair done in Bath on Monday, Amanda wandered through the Waterstones bookstore where she happened to notice a sign saying the Ed Winters would be giving a talk, answering questions, and doing a book signing at the store. Both being huge fans of Ed and his work, we were pleased to learn that the event would actually happen on Thursday, while we were still in the area. We reserved seats and joined about 50 others on Thursday night in the Waterstone’s café.
Afterward we had a chance to talk with Ed, have him sign our book, and take a picture. They say never meet your heroes, but Ed was a truly humble, articulate, and down-to-earth person. It was a privilege we will not soon forget!
Castle Combe
“Little town, it’s a quiet village
Every day like the one before
Little town, full of little people
Waking up to say
Bonjour! Bonjour!
Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!”
Yes, Belle was in France, but the “little town, quiet village” still applies here. Often rated the “prettiest village in England,” Castle Combe is quintessentially Cotswolds: set in a wooded valley, the lovely By Brook flowing through, and a prevalence of beautiful honey-toned limestone buildings that haven’t changed much since the 15th century.
The name Castle Combe comes in part from a 12th-century Norman castle which once stood just north of the village. It was built on the site of an old Roman Villa by Reginald de Dunstanville, the illegitimate son of King Henry I, during the 1135–1154 Civil War. The castle was abandoned by the 14th century and its buildings are long gone.
The other part of the name comes from the valley in which the village sits, known as a “combe” in Old English.
Castle Combe flourished in the 15th century as it became an important center of the wool industry. It was particularly known for making a red and white fabric known as “Castlecombe.” The waters of the By Brook were used to power a fulling mill and wash fleeces. Many of the cottages you see today were built to house spinners and weavers.
BTW, “cots” are sheep enclosures and “wolds” are gentle hills. So “Cotswolds” means an area of gentle hills with plenty of sheep around.
If you search Cotswolds or Castle Combe, one of the first pictures you’ll see is some version of the photo above.
A photo on the bridge is one of the most popular things to do in Castle Combe. It may be colder to visit in winter, but one advantage is getting to take a photograph in this tremendously popular spot with not another living soul in the background!
What a garden!
The Unicorn Lodge
Very unusual rain gutter.
Along with old timbers and leaded glass windows, rings for tying up animals are still found on buildings.
In my latest installment of Those Crazy Brits—I absolutely love the sign on the table and then this one below that we saw while walking into the village.
St Andrew’s Church
By Brook Weir
The Giant Sequoia on the lawn in front of the Manor House (the weir is in the background).
Such a magnificent tree!
From here you can appreciate the “combe” (valley) part of Castle Combe.
Castle Combe’s medieval Market Cross.
The medieval Market Cross sits at the heart of Castle Combe where its three main streets meet. It’s a reminder of when Castle Combe was granted the right to hold a weekly market by King Henry VI in 1440, an important landmark in the village’s history which helped it prosper.
Castle Combe’s Market Cross is unusual in that it’s has a roof above it, and it has shields and roses carved into the columns. There would also have originally been a Buttercross too, where shoppers would come to buy butter, milk, and eggs—but it was dismantled in the 19th century.
Next to the cross is one of Castle Combe's two village pumps. Small stone steps near the cross were for horse riders to mount and dismount. This structure is also known as the Weavers’ Steps and The Stone.
A horse fair was filmed around the Market Cross in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse (2011).
The Dower House (yellow house to the right) was used as the doctor’s house in the movie Dr Dolittle (I thought this house pictured was far more beautiful). The village also featured in Stardust (2007) and The Wolfman (2010).
